Jessica Ramirez
Creative Producer at Nia Tero
Jessica Ramirez (she/they) identifies as a queer Mexican of Indigenous descent. Jessica is a Creative Producer for the Storytelling Team at Nia Tero. Through her work as the team lead on the Kin Theory Indigenous Media Makers database, Ramirez combines her innate love for and curiosity about people with her dedication to building narrative shifts which highlight community power. As the host of the Seedcast podcast, Jessica shares personal stories as they continue their journey of self-discovery related to Indigeneity. Prior to joining the Nia Tero team, Jessica spent her time as community organizer advocating for transformative change for underrepresented and underserved communities in Washington state. Jessica resides on the homelands of the Coast Salish Peoples (presently known as Seattle, Washington) with her dog, Luna.
VIRTUAL STAGE
Thursday, June 23
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM PST
Kin Theory: A Community Centering Indigenous Creators
Nia Tero's Kin Theory Indigenous media makers database is a place for Indigenous creators to meet and support one another, as well as a point of connection for non-Indigenous creators and industry changemakers. In this session, meet the Kin Theory team and find out what it's like to be a part of the Kin Theory community. This session will include a brief introduction to Nia Tero and Kin Theory, as well as space for your questions and ideas.
In Partnership with:


FEATURING
Julie Keck
Consulting Producer at Nia Tero
Julie Keck is a filmmaker and communications strategist based in Chicago, IL. As a consulting producer with Nia Tero, Julie creates supports both the Kin Theory database and the Seedcast podcast with strategic communications and partnership outreach. Julie studied psychology at Knox College and earned her Sustainable Innovation MBA from the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business, where she investigated the intersection of economics, sustainability, and ethics.

Jessica Ramirez
Jessica Ramirez (she/they) identifies as a queer Mexican of Indigenous descent. Jessica is a Creative Producer for the Storytelling Team at Nia Tero. Through her work as the team lead on the Kin Theory Indigenous Media Makers database, Ramirez combines her innate love for and curiosity about people with her dedication to building narrative shifts which highlight community power. As the host of the Seedcast podcast, Jessica shares personal stories as they continue their journey of self-discovery related to Indigeneity. Prior to joining the Nia Tero team, Jessica spent her time as community organizer advocating for transformative change for underrepresented and underserved communities in Washington state.
Jessica Ramirez
Creative Producer
at Nia Tero
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Julie Keck
Julie Keck is a filmmaker and communications strategist based in Chicago, IL. As a consulting producer with Nia Tero, Julie creates supports both the Kin Theory database and the Seedcast podcast with strategic communications and partnership outreach. Julie studied psychology at Knox College and earned her Sustainable Innovation MBA from the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business, where she investigated the intersection of economics, sustainability, and ethics.
Julie Keck
Consulting Producer
at Nia Tero

Michelle Hurtubise
Michelle Y. Hurtubise is a Visual Anthropology Ph.D. candidate at Temple University and Nia Tero strategist researching narrative sovereignty, diverse festival networks, and BIPOC creator support systems through the development of Kin Theory, a global Indigenous media makers database, the 4th World Indigenous Media Lab, and the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival (where she will be a Fulbright Scholar in 2022-2023). With an interdisciplinary background in art and activism, she did human rights and media work in Rio de Janeiro as part of her Master’s thesis at New York University, received an MFA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, worked with the Center for Artistic Activism, and with the Center for Media, Culture and History.
Michelle Hurtubise
Strategist for Kin Theory
at Nia Tero
Michelle Hurtubise
Strategist for Kin Theory at Nia Tero
Michelle Y. Hurtubise is a Visual Anthropology Ph.D. candidate at Temple University and Nia Tero strategist researching narrative sovereignty, diverse festival networks, and BIPOC creator support systems through the development of Kin Theory, a global Indigenous media makers database, the 4th World Indigenous Media Lab, and the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival (where she will be a Fulbright Scholar in 2022-2023). With an interdisciplinary background in art and activism, she did human rights and media work in Rio de Janeiro as part of her Master’s thesis at New York University, received an MFA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, worked with the Center for Artistic Activism, and with the Center for Media, Culture and History.